Kurdish Militant Group PKK Disbands After 40-Year Conflict With Turkey

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) on Monday announced its decision to disband and end its armed struggle, following a call in February by its imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan.

The Kurdish armed group, which has waged a war against Turkey since the 1980s, said that it had completed its "historic mission" and brought the Kurdish question to a point where it could be resolved through democratic politics.

The group said Ocalan should be allowed to manage the disbandment process. It also requested solid and integrated legal guarantees to ensure the success of their decision.

"At this stage, it is important for the Grand National Assembly of Turkey to play its role with historical responsibility," the PKK's statement said.

"Similarly, we call on all political parties represented in the parliament, especially the government and the main opposition party, and civil society organizations to take responsibility and participate in the peace and democratic society process."

This historic announcement came after a 40-year-long conflict between Turkey and the PKK. The group initially sought Kurdish independence but later shifted its goal to autonomy and greater rights for Kurds within Turkey.

Over the decades, various governments, including that of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, attempted to resolve the issue through legal settlements, but these efforts were unsuccessful, and tens of thousands of lives were lost.

Since 2016, Ankara has managed to corner the PKK in northern Iraq by employing sophisticated technology such as drones and signal intelligence capabilities, as well as establishing dozens of military outposts that restrict the group's freedom of movement and infiltration across the border.

A source familiar with the matter told Middle East Eye that the PKK's announcement was initially set to be released on Friday, as the government had made some preparations, but internal PKK bureaucracy delayed its release.

Ocalan, 76, stated in his February address that the armed struggle was a product of a bygone era and that Kurds must seek their rights by participating in democratic societies within nation states.

Following his call, the Syrian Democratic Forces, a US-armed group led by PKK offshoots in Syria, then struck a deal with the new Damascus government, promising to return control of state institutions to the central administration.

Ocalan’s call came after Turkish nationalist leader and key Erdogan ally, Devlet Bahceli, asked the PKK leader last year to disband his group, potentially in return for being released into house arrest.

Talks with Kurdish DEM party

Since then, Bahceli has promised greater democratization in Turkey through phone conversations with the pro-Kurdish DEM Party. The government’s talks with Kurdish opposition groups have also divided the country’s opposition, as they come when popular Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu has been jailed and anti-Erdogan protests have been cracked down on.

Ankara insiders now expect the PKK and Turkish intelligence to announce specifics on how the group will return its arms and formally disband. Turkish officials, speaking on condition of anonymity earlier this year, told MEE that legal studies were underway to allow PKK members who have not participated in armed attacks to be welcomed back to the country.

Some officials speculate that the PKK leadership will either remain in northern Iraq, potentially in Sulaymaniyah, or be allowed to relocate to Europe in exile.

The DEM Party also expects the government to release thousands of its members imprisoned on non-violent charges and to end the practice of unseating its popularly elected mayors. A key demand is the release of Selahattin Demirtas, a Kurdish-Turkish politician who has been incarcerated since 2016.